June 13th, morning.
Guan Tong was using the folding shovel to clear snow from the small path, while the young girl Chen Na stood not far ahead.
Over the past few days, she and her mother Wang Yan had gradually beco familiar with Guan Tong. Yesterday, they even exchanged so food - Wang Yan traded a box of milk for a bag of biscuits from Guan Tong.
"Brother Guan Tong, do you have to shovel snow every day?" Chen Na squatted on the snowbank to the left of the path, watching the busy Guan Tong below as she asked.
After nearly half a month had passed, the accumulated snow on both sides of the path had reached over half a person's height. Guan Tong stood in the path, straightening up to find the snowbanks reached about waist level.
"Yes, I have to shovel every day," Guan Tong said. "If I leave it alone and the snow piles up too much, I won't be able to get out of my camp."
"Oh~"
"Na Na!" Wang Yan's call ca from not far away. Chen Na responded and ran over.
Shortly after, Wang Yan approached carrying a short shovel and said to Guan Tong, "Xiao Guan, let
help you shovel."
Guan Tong quickly replied, "No need, Sister Wang, I can handle it myself."
Wang Yan smiled, "It's fine, I've finished clearing the snow around my truck and have nothing else to do. Don't stand on ceremony, Xiao Guan."
Hearing this, Guan Tong showed a grateful smile, "Alright then, thank you, Sister Wang."
With Wang Yan's help, the speed of clearing the path's snow increased significantly.
After they had been clearing for a while, Chen Na also ca over to help. The three of them chatted while they worked.
"Xiao Guan, have you been online these past few days? Many cities have had water and electricity cut off. Lots of buildings and shopping malls have collapsed under the snow. I've seen many videos of collapses - who knows how many people have been crushed to death. It's truly terrifying."
"I haven't really been watching that," Guan Tong said.
Since coming to Mingdao Mountain, he hadn't been using his phone much.
Partly to conserve battery, and partly because he didn't think there was much worth watching.
As Wang Yan said, the internet was now flooded with nothing but various disaster reports from different places.
Guan Tong didn't particularly want to see these because watching them would only make him depressed and upset. It was better not to watch at all.
Wang Yan said, "It seems even Yong'an has been hit pretty hard this ti, and that's the capital."
"The capital has the highest population density in the country, so the snowfall would naturally be heaviest there," Guan Tong said.
"That makes sense. But I still think we should go to the capital. No other place compares to the capital. Think about it - all the important people live there. When other rules co, it's definitely going to be the safest place."
Wang Yan's tone sounded very firm. Hearing this, Guan Tong asked, "From what you're saying, Sister Wang, are you planning to take Little Na to Yong'an later?"
Wang Yan nodded, "I'd already decided before leaving the village this ti. Once the Snow Disaster rules pass, I'll take my daughter and drive the big truck along the national highway to the capital."
Guan Tong thought for a mont and said, "But I heard that the capital's free housing application policy has already been suspended. After this snow disaster, many houses will likely collapse, making the housing situation even more severe. Aren't you worried about not having a place to stay when you take Little Na there, Sister Wang?"
Wang Yan laughed, "Listen to you talking. Such a big capital city, and there wouldn't be a place for
and my daughter? If worst cos to worst, we can sleep in the truck. As long as we can settle down and let my daughter study in the capital, I'll be satisfied."
"Mom!"
At that mont, Chen Na at the front of the path suddenly scread, drawing the attention of both Wang Yan and Guan Tong.
Wang Yan imdiately ran over, picked up her terrified daughter, and quickly asked, "What's wrong, Na Na?!"
"There's... there's sothing running down from the mountain!" Chen Na said fearfully. "Very fast!"
What?
Hearing this, Guan Tong first climbed from the path onto the snowbank to one side, stood up and looked toward Mingdao Mountain's slopes, but didn't see anything.
He called out loudly, "Little Na, where did you see this thing?"
"I didn't see it..."
Guan Tong was montarily stunned, but then Wang Yan quickly said, "Xiao Guan, my daughter can sense moving things nearby. If she says there's sothing, there definitely is!"
Sense moving things nearby? Was this so kind of Mind Power item ability?
Just as Guan Tong was thinking this, he suddenly spotted a black object rushing down from the mountain. He focused his eyes and imdiately identified it.
"It's a wild boar!"
"Quick, Xiao Guan!" Wang Yan's face turned pale. She imdiately picked up her daughter and ran toward her large truck. "Co hide in the truck with us!"
"Okay!"
Guan Tong followed Wang Yan's steps, but after running only a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned his head.
He saw that the wild boar rushing down from the mountain was heading straight for his camp!
All his supplies were in the camp. If the wild boar destroyed them, what would he do for the remaining half month? Would he have to eat Sister Wang's food and live in her truck? But what if her food wasn't enough?
No way!
Guan Tong absolutely couldn't accept his hard-built camp being destroyed by a wild boar after half a month of work. Gritting his teeth, he turned and ran toward the camp.
Wang Yan had already gotten into the truck with her daughter Chen Na. Seeing Guan Tong running toward the wild boar, she thought it was too dangerous and shouted in alarm, "Xiao Guan! Xiao Guan!"
Guan Tong heard Wang Yan's shouts, but his mind was made up.
Moreover, he didn't think he was completely incapable of dealing with a wild boar. As long as he made good use of the cleared path, plus Shadow... he could win!
Guan Tong ran back to the front of his camp from above the snowbank. Sure enough, the wild boar was currently rummaging through his backpack containing food, making grunting sounds.
"Damned beast!"
Guan Tong's low shout imdiately attracted the wild boar's attention.
It turned its head, its small bean-like eyes darting around, seemingly not having spotted Guan Tong above the snowbank.
Because the accumulated snow on both sides of the path was over a ter high, and although wild boars had thick skin and were very fierce, their biggest weakness was their short stature and legs.
As long as he could use the height difference to trap this beast in the path...
Guan Tong waved his hand, and the Wordless Book imdiately appeared.
"Shadow, co out!"
The pages flipped, and Shadow detached from the pages in an ethereal form, "swimming" into the path. When it circled around to the wild boar's side, it suddenly materialized into physical form!
"Oink!"
Seeing the materialized Shadow appear beside it, the wild boar imdiately lowered its head and forcefully ramd into Shadow's leg.
If it had been Guan Tong standing there, that blow might have broken bones. But this was Shadow - Shadow who felt no pain, could quickly recover from injuries by consuming Mind Power, and had unlimited stamina!
Attack!
Under Guan Tong's control, Shadow spread its arms and pounced on the wild boar, firmly locking onto the boar's thick neck, using force to flip it over onto its side, then tightly gripping its neck without letting go.
The wild boar's four legs kicked wildly, continuously grunting as it tried to break free from the restraint.
But Shadow possessed unlimited stamina during its existence. Even if its strength couldn't match the wild boar's, with this unlimited stamina, it could restrain the wild boar in this narrow path for a short while.
Guan Tong's Mind Power was rapidly depleting. He knew he had to deal with the wild boar before it ran out. Otherwise, without Shadow's assistance, fighting the wild boar alone would be extrely dangerous!
He didn't dare delay, imdiately jumping down into the path and using his folding shovel to fiercely strike the wild boar's head several tis. But the wild boar had thick skin - several shovel strikes later, it was still full of life, struggling continuously.
No good, this shovel isn't hard enough!
Guan Tong made a quick decision, turned and rushed into the camp, grabbing the large iron pliers he had brought from the supply point.
This thing was much heavier and harder than the folding shovel.
Guan Tong gripped it with both hands and smashed it fiercely down on the wild boar's head!
"Thud!"
With that one strike, blood appeared on the wild boar's head.
"Oink oink oink!!!"
The wild boar seed to be provoked into greater ferocity by its injury and bleeding, struggling even more violently! Shadow's arms gripped its neck, legs clamped around its hind legs, barely managing to maintain the suppression.
Guan Tong knew that wild boars like this beca more frenzied the more they were injured. He had to finish it quickly!
Bang! Thump! Thud!
Guan Tong swung the large iron pliers with both hands, putting all his strength into every strike!
After about eight or nine consecutive strikes like this, the wild boar's head was completely torn open and bloody, its struggling movents greatly reduced, and its hind legs stretched out twitching - clearly done for.
But Guan Tong didn't dare let his guard down. Just in case, he continued striking another dozen or so tis, only putting down the iron pliers when he had no strength left, sitting on the ground gasping for breath.
"Hah, hah, hah..."
Shadow had already dissipated by this point. In the path, only the exhausted Guan Tong sitting on the ground remained, along with the motionless wild boar with its bloody, mangled head.
Even though the wild boar was dead beyond any doubt, Guan Tong's expression showed little joy.
A single wild boar had forced him to exhaust his Mind Power and use terrain advantages just to win. What if two appeared at the sa ti? Or if he encountered even more powerful beasts...
This was a problem that people living in modern cities almost never considered. People normally only thought about what to eat, what to play, how work and relationships were going - what normal person would need to think about how to deal with wild animals?
But now they had entered the Doomsday Rules era!
Who knew if future rules might force people to leave cities and live in wilderness and forests just to survive?
Problems that never needed consideration before now had to be considered for survival's sake.
"Weapons, I need a weapon that I can use anyti, and cold weapons won't do!"
Guan Tong thought to himself that relying solely on Shadow wasn't enough sotis.
Imagine if he had a gun - wouldn't dealing with wild boars, other beasts, or even enemies be much easier?
Looking at the wild boar's corpse, Guan Tong made a decision in his heart.
"In a few days after completing Coin Creation, I won't write 'Ascension Coins' on the second page of the Wordless Book... I'm going to try writing... 'shotgun'."
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